Thomas Cooper (poet)
Thomas Cooper (March 20, 1805 - July 15, 1892) was an English poet and a leading Chartist. He wrote poetry, notably the 944 stanzas of his prison-rhyme The Purgatory of Suicides (1845), as well as novels and, in later life, religious texts. Life Overview Cooper was born at Leicester, and apprenticed to a shoemaker. In spite of hardships and difficulties, he educated himself, and at 23 was a schoolmaster. He became a leader and lecturer among the Chartists, and in 1842 was imprisoned in Stafford gaol for 2 years, where he wrote his Purgatory of Suicides, a political epic. At the same time he adopted sceptical views, which he continued to hold until 1855, when he became a Christian, joined the Baptists, and was a preacher among them. In his latter years he settled down into an old-fashioned Radical. His friends in 1867 raised an annuity for him, and in the last year of his life he received a government pension. In addition to his poems he wrote several novels. Somewhat impulsive, he was an honest and sincere man.John William Cousin, "Cooper, Thomas," A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, 1910, 95. Web, Dec. 28, 2017. Youth Cooper was born in Leicester, the son of a working dyer. The family removed to Exeter when Cooper was a few months old, and there his father died 3 years afterwards. The widow returned to Gainsborough and opened a business in dyeing and fancy box making. Cooper was admitted into a bluecoat school, and remained there until 1820, when, after a trial of the sea, he was apprenticed to a shoemaker.MacDonald, 58. He had been an intelligent pupil, and as an apprentice seized every opportunity for self-culture, studying Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, and these he put to use when, after a serious illness in 1827, he gave up shoemaking at Gainsborough and opened a school there. In 1829 he added the work of a methodist local preacher to that of schoolmaster, but, failing at Gainsborough, he moved to Lincoln. Here he was not more successful, and in 1836 joined the staff of a liberal newspaper in Lincoln. He married in 1834; his wife died in 1880. A self-taught shoemaker, preacher, schoolmaster, and journalist before he became a Chartist in 1840, Cooper was passionate, determined, and fiery.Thomas Cooper (poet), Wikipedia, July 10, 2017. Wikimedia foundation. Web, Dec. 28, 2017. Chartist leader After a few months' residence in Stamford, he went to London in 1839. Failing to obtain newspaper work, he assisted a second-hand bookseller, and then for a month or 2 edited the Kentish Mercury from Greenwich, but in 1840 he accepted an invitation to go to Leicester and join the staff of the Leicestershire Mercury. Immediately afterwards he became a chartist, and, his employers objecting, he left them and undertook the editorship of the chartist Midland Counties Illuminator. For the 4 succeeding years he was one of the foremost of the more extreme party among the chartists, and in 1841 was nominated for the representation in the House of Commons of both the town and the county of Leicester, but did not go to the poll. In the following year, when proceeding from Leicester to Manchester as a delegate to a chartist conference, he addressed the colliers on strike at Hanley. Passion ran high, and next day a serious riot took place, and Cooper was arrested at Burslem, but liberated for want of evidence. He proceeded to Manchester and, finding that a great strike had begun, urged his friends in Leicester to join in it. Some disturbance followed, and on his return Cooper was arrested for his Hanley speech and tried for arson. Acquitted on this charge, he was re-arrested on a charge of sedition and conspiracy. After an adjourned trial he was sentenced in March 1843 to 2 years' imprisonment. Most of the time he spent in Stafford jail. After his liberation he quarrelled with Feargus O'Connor and took no part in the further developments of the chartist movement. Writer and lecturer When in prison Cooper wrote some tales and The Purgatory of Suicides. His efforts to publish his poem brought him into contact with Disraeli (afterwards Earl of Beaconsfield) and Douglas Jerrold, through whose influence a publisher was found in 1845. In addition to the various papers with which he was connected, Cooper in 1850 conducted Cooper's Journal, but only a few issues appeared. Cooper turned his reputation as poet and cultured working man to account by lecturing to radical and free-thought audiences upon historical and educational subjects. While addressing one of these audiences in the hall of science in 1856, he suddenly broke off and announced that he had been reconverted to the truths of Christian evidences, and from that time, with the exception of a month or 2 when he was employed as copyist at the board of health, he was engaged as an itinerant lecturer on Christian proofs. In 1867 he was presented with an annuity by his friends. He died at Lincoln on 15 July 1892. Writing ''The Purgatory of Suicides'' The Purgatory of Suicides, a political epic in 10 books, written in Spenserian stanzas, is a poetical rendering of the ideals of the radical movement, and the circumstances and motives of some of the most famous suicides of history are used as the moral and political setting of the work. It reached a 3rd edition in 1853. Other writings His chief works are: 'Wise Saws and Modern Instances,' London, 1845; written in Stafford jail. 'The Bason's Yule Feast,' London, 1846. 'Land for the Labourers,' London, 1848. 'Captain Cobbler: his Romance,' London, 1848. 'Bridge of History over the Gulf of Time,' London, 1871. 'Life of Thomas Cooper, written by Himself,' London, 1872. 'Plain Pulpit Talk,' London, 1872. 'God, the Soul, and a Future State,' London, 1873. 'Paradise of Martyrs,' London, 1873. 'Old-fashioned Stories,' London, 1874. 'Evolution,' London, 1878. 'Atonement,' second series of 'Plain Pulpit Talk,' London, 1880. 'Thoughts at Four Score,' London, 1885. Cooper's collected 'Poetical Works' were published in London, 1877. Publications Poetry *''The Wesleyan Chiefs, and other poems''. London: Hamilton, Adams, 1833. *''The Purgatory of Suicides: A prison-rhyme, in ten books. London: Jeremiah How, 1845; London: James Watson, 1847; London: Chapman & Hall, 1853. *The Baron's Yule-Feast: A Christmas-rhyme. London: Jeremiah How, 1846. *The Paradise of Martyrs: A faith rhyme.. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1873. *Poetical Works. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1877. Novels ;as "Adam Hornbrook" *''Alderman Ralph; or, The history of the borough and corporation of the borough of Willowacre. London: Routledge, 1853. *''The Family Feud''. London: Routledge, 1856. Short fiction *''Old-Fashioned Stories. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1874. Non-fiction *''Wise Saws and Modern Instances. (2 volumes), London: Jeremiah How, 1845. Volume I, Volume II *''The Land for the Labourers; and The fraternity of nations: A scheme for a new industrial system''. London: Effingham Wilson, 1848. *''Eight Letters to the Young Men of the Working Classes''. London: J. Watson, 1849. *''Cooper's Journal; or, Unfettered thinker and plain speaker for truth, freedom and progress. London: James Watson, 1850; New York: A.M. Kelly, 1850. *''Plain Pulpit Talk. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1872. *''The Life of Thomas Cooper: Written by himself. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1872. *The Bridge of History over the Gulf of Time: A popular view of the historical evidence for the truth of Christianity. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1874. *''God, the Soul, and a Future State: A twofold popular treatise. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1874. *''The Verity of Christ's Resurrection from the Dead: An appeal to the common sense of the people. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1875. *''Evolution; The stone book; and The Mosaic record of creation: Three lectures. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1878; Cincinnati, OH: Cranston & Curts / New York: Hunt & Eaton, 1893. *''The Verity and Value of the Miracles of Christ: An appeal to the common-sense of the people''. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1882. *''Thoughts at Fourscore and Earlier: A medley. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1885. Juvenile *The Triumphs of Perseverance and Enterprise, Written as examples for the young. London: 1850; New York: Evers & Dickerson, 1854; London: Ward, Lock, & Tyler, 1860. ''Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Thomas Cooper 1892, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Feb. 3, 2017. See also * List of British poets References * . Wikisource, Web, Feb. 3, 2017. * Stephen Roberts (2008) The Chartist Prisoners: The radical lives of Thomas Cooper (1805-1892) and Arthur O'Neill (1819-1896) Notes External links ;Poems *"Chartist Song" in A Victorian Anthology *Thomas Cooper at Poetry Nook] ("Methought, on this aspring form I gazed") *Prison rhymes & early pieces (13 poems) * Thomas Cooper at PoemHunter (21 poems) ;Prose * The 'Plug Plot' Agitation of 1842. ;Books * *Thomas Cooper at the Online Books Page. ;About *Thomas Cooper at Spartacus Educational * Thomas Cooper (1805-1892) at Web of English History. * Thomas Cooper at GeraldMassey.org *Sedition, Chartism, and Epic Poetry in Thomas Cooper's The Purgatory of Suicides at Project Muse (excerpt) *''Thomas Cooper the Chartist: Byron and the 'Poets of the Poor' by Philip Collins (PDF) * Cooper, Thomas (1805-1892) Category:1805 births Category:1892 deaths Category:British prisoners and detainees Category:Chartists Category:English Baptists Category:English poets Category:People from Leicester Category:19th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Working-class poets